Obituaries | PASSINGS

Jack Gwillim; Actor Performed in Film, on British, U.S. Stages

Jack Gwillim, 91, a British stage and film actor who had small roles in such motion pictures as "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Patton," died Monday in Los Angeles.

His five-decade career included several seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-on-Avon, England, at London's Old Vic and at various West End theaters. He performed in plays with such actors as John Gielgud, Michael Redgrave, Richard Burton, Anthony Quayle and Judy Dench.

After moving to the United States in 1969, Gwillim acted on Broadway and Los Angeles stages, notably portraying Col. Pickering in Rex Harrison's 1981 revival of "My Fair Lady" and working with Charlton Heston in "A Man for All Seasons."

A Times reviewer said Gwillim brought "polish and dimension" to his role as Calista's father in the 1986 Los Angeles Theater Center production of "The Fair Penitent."

A member of the Royal Navy for 20 years, Gwillim was a champion heavyweight boxer and a versatile athlete during his military service.